Sep 28, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; New York Yankees first baseman Nick Swisher (33) during their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 11-4. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

With the outfield market getting slimmer and slimmer by the day, the Phillies have few options left to fill holes in center and right field. Two players who played with the Yankees last season may be on the Phillies radar. Nick Swisher has been a name that has been loosely linked to the Phillies, but now looks like it may be more likely than originally thought.

Jim Bowden of ESPN.com tweeted that Swisher’s most likely destinations are Philadelphia, Seattle and Cleveland. Swisher could add an immediate source of power to the Phillies lineup and could fit either behind Howard or possibly even bat second. Swisher hit. 272 with 24 home runs and 93 RBIs last season.

Another rumor began today involving the Phillies and a free agent outfielder, this one was more of a surprise. Raul Ibanez left the Phillies after the 2011 season to join the Yankees for one year, now the 40 year old is a free agent and could possibly be returning to Philly.

Ibanez played in 130 games last year with the Yankees and hit .240 with 19 home runs. However he will be remembered in New York for his clutch home run hitting during the ALDS and ALCS last season.

Ibanez was a fan favorite during his time in Philly and some fans may be excited to see him return. The issue with Ibanez is that he is now 40 years old, but showed last year he may still have some power off the bench.

Either way, Ruben Amaro may need to forget his patient ways and make a move before there are no options left.

The general consensus is no, they don’t. But should they? Many people are looking at the risks of signing Hamilton, and there are a few that could kill the deal. However, there are a few pros that could lead to this being a good move.

First, the cons everyone is seeing–the biggest is the issue of money, as Hamilton wants a lot. He was rumored at one point to be asking for around a seven year, $175 million deal, which will not be happening no matter what team he signs with. I think that Hamilton will begin to see that no one is willing to give him that kind of contract and will lower his asking price. If the Phillies can get him down to somewhere around a three year deal with an option for a fourth, they should pull the trigger.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

As many baseball fans know, Hamilton has had his share of issues involving drugs and alcohol through his career. Hamilton has seemed to keep his issues under control lately and has not let it effect his  performance, coming off probably the best season of his career.

That being said, coming to Philadelphia, a city that seems to have more of a party scene than Dallas, may make it difficult for Hamilton to stay on the right path. Along with that, in my opinion, the fans here can be a little harder on players not performing up to their abilities, and who knows how Hamilton would respond to that.

However, there are a few pros to signing Hamilton.

First of all, he is one of the best players in the league right now and I do not think anyone will argue that. He would add an immediate boost to the offense and the middle of the lineup would look pretty intimidating, on paper at least. Citizens Bank Park is very hitter friendly with a great environment and Hamilton could take advantage of that and thrive off the passion of the crowd.

So, back to the question of do the fans want the Phillies to sign Hamilton? Right now, probably not. There are still a few options other than Hamilton that the Phillies could look to including Angel Pagan or bringing back Shane Victorino.

These may not be as glamorous or news breaking as the blockbuster Hamilton move, but they may have more value. If the price is right for Hamilton, he could be a big help to the team. Hopefully Ruben doesn’t feel like he needs to make a big splash and offer a bigger deal than necessary to Hamilton with other options on the table. With the winter meetings coming up next week, I think we will start to see what direction the Phillies are leaning and possibly see a signing soon after.